Case Studies

Data #3 and CloudBolt Cost Management Platform

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Case Study - Data # 3 cloudbolt.io 703.665.1060 Need for sophisticated and unified cloud cost control capability Phil Redmond has led the Cloud Services team at Data # 3 for the past five years. In our conversation with Phil, he recalls that in 2021, his Cloud Management team faced a significant challenge; the well-known platform they leveraged to support cloud resale and cost management was not hitting the mark. As their services advanced, the platform's limited feature sets and functionality became apparent. Some of the primary gaps included, • Reporting and optimization capabilities were limited and lacked feature consistency across clouds. • Platform missed the self-service facility that internal and external stakeholders were looking for in day-to-day operations. • Cloud billing administration was inefficient and required manual intervention from the team. • Automation functionality was missing altogether, blocking avenues to expand delivery efficiencies. These product gaps resulted in an increase in manual efforts and wasted cycles from the Data # 3 team in a landscape where efficiency is a primary driver of success. In Phil's words, "the availability of suitably skilled resources, coupled with the continued growth of our business, required an increasing focus on automation across cloud management systems." Data # 3 team members and customers increasingly demanded more. Unfortunately, the support and responsiveness provided by their existing provider could not keep pace with the increasing requirements of customers and staff. By the end of 2021, Redmond and his management team had confirmed the current arrangements were no longer suitable, and that they needed to evaluate an alternate solution. The search for a sophisticated and unified cloud cost control platform In 2022, the team set out to research platforms better equipped to handle complex hyperscaler billing models and bring additional value to their cost-related service offerings. Working from direct customer feedback and FinOps market trends, Phil and his team compiled a 'best-case' feature set to guide their search, atop that list were the following criteria: • Data Processing at Scale: As a cloud distributor (CSP), billing inaccuracies and slow processing times can harm the customer experience. The team knew it was vital that their billing engine be able to process large datasets quickly and accurately. • Elevated Optimization Analysis: Data # 3's "Cloud Optimiser" service is designed to go beyond the baseline IaaS savings recommendations that first-generation tools provide. Their next platform needed to serve as a magnifying glass to model estate-wide savings at scale and uncover hidden opportunities. • Provider-Focused Admin Functionality: To effectively manage their global customer portfolio, Data # 3 required robust management controls and capabilities - including multi-tenancy, margin and discount customization, currency conversion, access control, and more. • Advanced Automation Features: As Data # 3's customer base grows, it is vital to reduce manual processes and increase efficiency. These criteria focused on feature sets that enable faster, more consistent delivery across service lines. • Platform Customization: The ability of Data # 3 to create a bespoke and branded experience for its customer was another consideration. Platforms with extensive white-label functionality across the platform and artifacts reduce a fragmented customer experience and keep the Data # 3 brand top of mind. - Phil Redmond, General Manager Services, Data # 3 The availability of suitably skilled resources, coupled with the continued growth of our business, required an increasing focus on automation across cloud management systems." "

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